Driftwood

[Dare2smile]

So, I know next to nothing about driftwood. I know that I love it, but have never managed to use it. The few pieces back home that we have dyed the water brown, so we took them out.
Are there general tips for driftwood, such as where to get it? If I've got a freshwater tank, does that mean I can't use driftwood found in the ocean? What about driftwood found in the reptile sections of pet stores?

Thanks for help and ideas! (

 

[Aqualady40]

I got my dw from a lake and scrubbed, scrubbed , boiled, boiled, scrubbed, etc....till I felt it was clean, waterlogged, and tannins were releasing SLOWLY (not enough to see brown water)...your brown water is from tannins leeching which boiling it can reduce it

 

[Wiggles24]

What types of wood are suitable to put in your tank for driftwood? It's seems expensive to buy I would live to be able to collect some in my own but I don't want to kill my fish.

 

[TankMan]

What types of wood are suitable to put in your tank for driftwood? It's seems expensive to buy I would live to be able to collect some in my own but I don't want to kill my fish.

No soft woods.

 

[phin]

Dont use pine, cedar, or anything that is aromatic. If you can smell the oils in the wood then they will end up in your tank. You can use wood found in the ocean. boil it if it is small enough. If not, soak in hot water in a tub for a few days, changing the water often. If its small enough to fit in a 5 gallon bucket, but too big for a pot, or if you don't mind staining your tub for a little while, give the wood a good soak in hot water with some Kent Poly*Ox added.

 

[Wiggles24]

I live in the mountains of northern CA. Pretty much everything here would fit into the "aromatic" category not sure if I could find anything that would work. Sad face. Buying driftwood is kinda expensive but I don't want to use anything that would hurt my fishies

 

[okapizebra]

Look up trees that are hard wood. I'm sure there are some around you. All hard woods I believe are safe, such as oak. I'd avoid woods from the reptile section, not all are meant to be submerged and I don't think they're all safe.

If you're looking for some nice pieces for not that much money, check out the mopani or malaysian driftwood for sale on drsfostersmith.com. I purchased a small piece of each and I'm happy with them both. For 4-6 bucks a piece and 6 dollar shipping, it didn't hurt the wallet too much.